Cap-crown-protecting device



J. H. BOUCHER.

CAP CROWN PROTECTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED use. 8. 1920.

Patented Oct. 24, 1922..

Patented Get. 24, 1 922.

res

JOSEPH n.3oncsnnor caiesnmeii, stessacinsnrrs.

cAP-cnown-raornctrine nnvrori.

Applicati onifiled December S, 1920. Serial. No.

To allwhom it may covicernr Be t known that I, JOSEPH H; Boncrmn, a citizen of the United States, residingat Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain' Improvements in a Cap-Crown-Protecting Device, of which the following de scription, 1I1 COI1I1C'E1OI1'W1tl1 the accompanying drawings, IS. a specification, llke reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts 1n the several figures.

Policemen, firemen, chauffeurs, and others who wear caps of the flat crown style find that perspiration from thehead is absorbed fducing' a soiled and untidy appearance. It

by the top of the 'crown of the cap where comes 1n contact with the head. This-per spiration discolors the crown of the cap proisexceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to

I tion to provide a protecting device which can be conveniently worn within the cap and which will prevent discolorationfrom the cause yust described. The lnventlon also aims to devise an article of this character which will fit a great. variety of sizes and styles of caps and which can be conveniently inserted in and removed from the cap.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings,'and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cap equipped with a protecting device constructed in accordance with the present in vention; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the protecting device.

Fig. 1 shows a cap of the type above referred to having a crown 2 with a flat top 3.

The protecting device comprises a pad prefably consisting of an approximately circular sheet f of waterproof material, such as oiled silk, and a covering 5 therefor of silk, sateen, or any other suitable material. This protecting member or pad is supported by a frame 6, preferably made of spring wire bent into an approximately oval form, as shown in Fig. 2, and having a series of notches 7 therein to receive elastic straps 8 hing arranged the notches Z; The wire is held in the shape having their ends sewed to the pad. These straps preferably are made of elastic web to form loops which engage shown in Fig. 2 by the elastic straps 8.

. The method of manufacturing this device will be obvious from an understanding of its construction. in using the device the wire frame 6 is contracted sufficiently to place it in the crown of the cap in the position shown. in Fig. '1, and" as soon as the frame is free it expands due to its inherent resiliency, and frictionally engages the in- 1 sidewall of the crown of the cap where it supports the protecting pad substantially in contact with the top. 3 of the crown of the cap. It will'he understood, of course, that the unfinished edges seen in Fig. 2 will be uppermost so that the device. will present a satisfactory appearance, Since the protecting pad comes between the head.

of the wearer and the top 3 of the cap crown, lll'Wlll itself absorb a certain amount of perspiration, but the waterproof material twill prevent this perspiration from working through into the crown piece 3. USU-r.

ally the "central portion of the waterproof sheet will be held in contact with the crown piece 3 by the wearers head, but the marginal portion of this piece will tend to drop I away from the part 3 so that even if perspiration should work along the covering material 5 to the margins thereof the pad would not usually be in close enough contact with the part 3 to transmit perspiration to the crown.

It will be evident that whenever the pad becomes soiled it can easily be removed, laundered, and replaced again. The frame 6 may be made of a nickeled or galvanized iron wire, or of any other suitable material that will not rust or corrode.

While the invention has been above described as particularly applicable to caps since the necessity for it arises Inore espe cially in caps, it is equally useful in some styles of hats having very low crowns so that the top of the crown rests on the wearers head. When the device is to be used in a hat I consider it preferable to turn out the ends of the frame 6 to form points, as indicated at 99, Fig. 2, and to solder or otherwise secure a prong 10 to the opposite side of the frame. These points or prongs can be pushed slightly into the wall of the crown of the hat where they will be held by the tendency of the frame 6 to expand and thus support the protecting device in its operative position in the hat. The prongs or points 9 and 10 are not necessary, however, in a cap of the style shown in Fig.

, 1 due to the fact that the crown of the cap above; mentioned.

is larger at the top than at any otherpoint.

it will now be seenthat the invention arovides a very simple protecting devlce w 1011 t effectually prevents perspiration from reaching the crown of the hat or cap and therefore prevents the soiling and discoloring It will also be evident that the device can be manufactured very economically, that itwill fit a great variety vof hei-utlvsizcs of a given style o'f cap, and

can be quickly placed in position and re moved again when necessary. 7

A furtheradvantageof this constnuction is that the presence of the oilproof sheet keeps the wearers head dry in wet'weather. *Usually in, caps of this type the crown piece wets through very quicklyfajnd since the wearershead is indirect contact with this part of thecap his head also becomes wet very quickly. W'Vith the use of the device 1- provided by this invention; however, the

'weareris saved this discomfort The pres ence of-the-silk or other covering 5 not only improves the appearanceof the protecting device but it also contributesto the comfort of: the wearer, particularly if he is bald headed. i

willalso be understood that the tor-m Fcap in the appended claims is;use d in a, generic sense to include both the-articles commonly linownzas hats and capsprotecting 2. it cap crown protector comprising a protecting member of waterproof sheet material, a resilient wire, frame substantially encircling said member and tending to (EX-V pand whereby it is enabled to engage firmly with the inner wall of the crown of a cap, said frame having ends spaced apart and flexiblestraps connecting said frame with said member and supporting the member in its operative position, said frame having notches therein to receive said straps.

A cap crown protector comprising a pad including a sheet of waterproof material and a covering of fabric for saidsheet, a frameconsisting of a length of spring wire substantially encircling said pad and operative to' engage the inner walls of the crown of the cap, and a plurality of straps connecting said frame with saidrpad and supporting the. pad, said frame having notches therein to vreceive said straps and having ends spaced apart by .a substantial distance.

name to this specification.

I JOSEPH H. eouonnn.

In testimony whereofl have signed my 

